Lafayatte SAR/GPS
On Monday afternooon I was climbing the Lonesome Lake trail to the hut about 2:30. We saw the helicopter flying between Lafayette and LIncoln, hovering, going up and down, sometimes going low enough to blow snow under the rotors.
We had no idea what was going on. We figured it was a new pilot practicing flying in the notch for future SARs. It never occurred to us that someone was really lost.
It wasn't until I came out this morning and stopped a a gas station and saw a newspaper that I understood what happened.
On Monday night, the temp was 2 degrees and falling at the hut when I turned in about 8:30. I had a -25 bag and was fine, but would not have wanted to have been outside without overnight gear.
I undestand that they were found near the summit. I'm not sure why the helicopter could not find them on Monday or why they stayed near the summit (if they in fact did). I have been very cold before and know that it numbs your ability to think. I have made it home in trudge mode, putting one foot in front of the other, my cold and tired brain able to focus on only one thing: accomplish the one task of which my brain was aware: go to the trailhead. Had I fallen into a wet stream I doubt if I would have been aware enough to change clothes (if I even could). Had I taken a wrong trail, I wouldn't be typing now. Cold is insidious in its effects on our thinking, and high winds make it even worse. The constant roar, even when I'm not cold, wears me down on an elemental level.
I don't understand it, and to be honest, this danger is part of the allure of winter hiking. I'm scared to death of roller coasters (even though they are quite safe) and revel in standing on a summit in a wind so strong I cannot even open my eyes unless I'm wearing goggles. Maybe I'm whacked, but I love it.
Regarding GPSs, before I left home Monday morning, I entered two routes into it, one from LL Hut up to the Kinsmans and one to Cannon, our planned hikes. I do this on winter hikes in case the weather turns bad very suddenly and I'm caught in a white out. I also carry a compass and extra batteries for the GPS (six extra AA cells - the GPS takes 2) because the cold does reduce battery life dramatically.
I agree with the posters who say that over-reliance on a GPS is dangerous, but it is equally dangerous (in my opinion) not to carry one. A compass will point you west (or east or norht or south) to bushwahck to a highway. A pre-done GPS route, wilth about 20 or thirty waypoints, and the key spots properly labeled *could* work better than a compass in finding a way home. I tend to label summits, trail junctions and key parts of trail. This last one I did after those six boneheads came down off Lafayette a couple years ago and went off the wrong side of the ridge (to Skooumchuck vice heading toward Greenleaf hut). In this case a compass would also have worked, of course. A GPS is a good thing to have, but it is electronic and it does rely on conditions beyond our control (picking up satellites), so I would never carry one in lieu of compass, but in addition to.
Someone said a GPS would do no good if it showed you where to go but you were pinned by the weather and unable to move. I certainly agree with that assessment but fail to see why this makes a carrying a GPS not a good idea. For that matter, what good are crampons/snowshoes if you are pinned by the weather?
Whoever said a GPS was a tool was right on. Like a compass and navigation/map reading skills, a GPS could be a life saver. If you have a compass, map and GPS and are still pinned by weather, or fall into a ravine and break a leg, well, you're just screwed. Sometimes you can have all the right tools and equipment and knowledge, and just have a run of bad luck. But having the tools, and knowedge increases your odds of survival.
Tom